We Suffer in Nigeria

I’ve never given much thought to gay communities outside the United States.  The reason being that us gays in the U.S.A are still fighting for our own rights.  However, having to do research for a blog the most interesting topic and issue that has countless articles from different countries in African is the gay communities.  Africans have very strong morals and values and being gay in Africa is asking to be killed specially in Nigeria.

In Nigeria, just last year a bill was passed allowing the Nigerian government to punish homosexuals and individuals who support the gay community for 14 years. Also if married as a gay couple, the couple will be sentence for 10 years.  Nigeria is extremely anti-gay; many of the Nigerian people will even state that there are no gay people in Nigeria.  They do not support being gay at all so they refuse to have any gay bars or gay clubs in their country.  Just the thought of not being able to be yourself is heart breaking.  No one will ever know the feeling endless you step into our shoes.  Yes, I know what it means to be in the closet and pretending to be something your not.  What hurts the most is lying to yourself, the feeling of wanting to live a different life style then the “normal” human, can make a gay human think and believe that maybe the world is right we are living in a sinful way.  According to the article Nigerian Gay Rights Activists Call for Dignity, Acceptance, states that there are many gay Nigerians going back to the closet because they are afraid to face their own people.  Heterosexuals in Nigeria treat gay people as if they are animals, they do whatever they please to them, beat them to death, fire them from their jobs, and are kicked out of their homes hated by family members. The fear of wanting to come out and no one accepting you can kill you shortly but surely.  The article says, how a 60-year-old gay man was beaten to death because he was an openly gay man.  The article also speaks about why Nigerian people do not accept gays; it has to do with their religion being Christian and Muslim. Religion plays a big affect on why this world sees us as horrible people. When in reality the only thing we are doing is sharing our love with our same sex. How is that something sinful?  Also their political leaders are brain washing their citizens to go against gay people because it is not normal.  This article made me come up with countless questions about the Nigerian life style. For example, being Mexican we use the word Machista that represents a male figure that is against gay people and see themselves superior then females.  Do Nigerian men have the same believe that they are superior then females? And therefore a gay man is a man that wants to be woman? Is that why they are not respected or does it only have to do with religious beliefs?

http://www.voanews.com/content/nigerian-gay_rights_activists_call_for_dignity_acceptance/1441447.html